TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The effort finally broke through in the form of a win for Indiana State Friday night.
Despite a pair of solid efforts and improved play last weekend, the wins were elusive. That is but a memory now as the Sycamores (4-13, 2-4 Missouri Valley) controlled the pace of play from start to finish in a 65-50 win over Bradley Friday evening at the Hulman Center.
Play continued to improve for Indiana State as four players registered double-digit points, a first for the team against a Division I opponent this season. And for the third time in five games, the Sycamores were credited with double figures in steals (12), forcing Bradley (9-8, 3-3) into their most turnovers since early December.
More importantly, a team that has seen so many games slip through their fingers this year finally withstood an opponent's rally and hit timely shots to keep control of the outcome.
"It felt like we got off to a great start and really controlled the tempo of the game, even when Bradley made a push in the third quarter and early in the fourth," Indiana State interim head coach
Josh Keister said. "I think our kids did a great job of hanging in there, getting the stops that we needed to and then getting the baskets on the offensive end to be able to keep the separation in the game."
Wendi Bibbins led ISU with 14 points while
Alexis Delgado (12 points),
Ashley Taia (11) and
Tierra Webb (11) were integral components on the Sycamore offense.
It came from a dominating first half that featured a 12-0 run followed shortly thereafter by an 8-0 run for the host Trees.
"That has been as consistent as we have been for a half," said Keister. "Coming out, we got a great start and scored 19 points in the first quarter then followed that up with an 18-point second quarter. That allowed us to take some good momentum into halftime. We were happy with the way we were playing. We were solid at both ends of the floor."
The halftime lead – the team's first since facing Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 9 – gave the Sycamores the confidence. But it was the team's tenacity to withstand any change by the visiting Braves, a team that had won three straight road games before Friday's contest.
Bradley, which was led by the 14 points out of both Chelsea Brackmann and Gabi Haack, had cut Indiana State's lead to only eight, the lowest of the second half, before the Trees responded with a 13-3 run that featured seven rebounds and two steals for ISU.
The Trees registered seven of the team's 12 steals in the second half and refused to let Bradley score more than six points in a row. Webb led all players with four steals, a familiar sight as she has laid claim to multiple steals in five of her last 11 games.
But the Sycamores didn't have to rely solely on defensive to pull out a win. The team shot 43.9 percent from the field, the fourth straight improvement since Keister took over four games ago.
"I'm not sure if it is anything we've done," Keister said of his team's improving offensive numbers. "I want our team to play free and loose. I think that has relaxed us a little bit. They have done a great job moving the basketball. We talk about getting the great shot over the good shot and we've really done that. They have done a really good job of finding the open man."
"This group has done just done a great job of sharing the basketball and becoming a really balanced team," he added.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Women's Basketball team, make sure to check out
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including
Facebook,
Twitter and
Instagram.
